


Sukkot

by enkelimagnus



Series: Jewish Life of Simon and Maia [3]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Judaism, Mention of Past Jordan/Maia, Sukkot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-29
Updated: 2018-09-29
Packaged: 2019-07-20 05:33:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16130666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/enkelimagnus/pseuds/enkelimagnus
Summary: Reflections on what it means to have a home, from Maia and Simon, on Sukkot





	Sukkot

Sleeping under a sukkah in the middle of September was stupid, and yet, that was where Maia and Simon found themselves that year. It was on the balcony of their apartment, and it was tiny and stupidly small, and not even really made according to the right rules. 

The balcony was too small for the right dimension, and the top of the sukkah wasn’t in direct contact to the sky, there was the balcony of the apartment on top of theirs obstructing the view. 

They’d made it with branches stolen from Prospect Park and fake plants bought in some tacky decoration store somewhere. They’d somehow managed to build it and make it stand somewhat right, and it had been the kind of happy moment you get after assembling tricky Ikea furnitures. 

So they were lying there, in the middle of the night. It wasn’t really the middle, it was just nighttime, but it had started to feel like one endless night where all the times kinda melted together. 

Maia snuggled closer to Simon. He wasn’t giving out much warmth, vampire biology and all, but it was still comfortable. Because he was her boyfriend, and he was there. He was steady, he was caring, and he held her when she felt like the world wasn’t worth it. 

She felt lucky, often. So lucky that the world, or G-d, had decided to have Simon drop in her life like that. A bit more than two years ago. She hummed softly. 

“I understand the sukkah.” She said softly. 

Simon shifted, probably raising an eyebrow. It was true that phrasing it like that didn’t make much sense. She was tired. 

“What do you mean?” he asked. His voice was soft. Maia wanted to curl up in it, and sleep forever. 

“We can’t depend on outer walls.” She whispered. “We can’t depend on everything we have around us, because some day, they might all be taken away. We must remember that in the end, all we have is a sukkah, and everything else is just added bonus, that we should cherish. But still realize how ephemeral it all is, you know?” Maia sucked in a breath. She understood that more than anyone. 

Simon nodded. “All we have is our faith, in the end. And our will. Not just faith in G-d. Faith in humans, faith in each other, faith in ourselves. Because one day, it might all crumble down, and we’ll need the strength from the inside.” 

Maia snuggled a little closer. “This… learning these things with you. It makes me fall in love with who you are a little more every time.” She whispered. “It makes me realize how… close to your faith… to our faith, I always was.” She added. “When I was turned, i lost my entire world. When I left home, I lost my entire world. Every time, it was a hard beginning, but a beginning nonetheless.” 

Simon hummed. They could kinda see the stars. Or maybe it was the reflection of the lights of the city, on the clouds. In New York, it was more likely to be the latter. He’d never really done Sukkot in the countryside. Maybe next year they could do that. Make it a small holiday. Escape the city, and build a sukkah in a place where they could see the stars through the roof of it. 

“You know… the whole getting out of Egypt story, for Pessah right?” Simon muttered, and he felt Maia’s nod against his chest. He licked his lips and continued. “There’s this verse that says “In every generation one must look upon himself as if he personally had gone out of Egypt.” And… it has a double meaning, you know? Because yes, if G-d hadn’t taken us out of Egypt, we would be slaves now, and that’s something we have to remember. That… we are lucky. That our freedom is a gift that we shouldn’t forget, or turn into a weapon of pain.” He explained. “But… it’s also about obstacles. The Hebrew word for Egypt - Mitzrahim - also means “limitation”. It’s… it means that we are… fighting our own oppressors every day. May it be ourselves. Or those who want to hurt us.” 

“Jordan was my Egypt.” Maia whispered. “My parents, and Jordan.” She paused for a moment. “Yours was… turning into a vampire. And losing your family.” 

Simon nodded. “We both… turning into who we are today… Vampire and werewolf, was our obstacle. And… now we are… you’re the Alpha. And I’m a Daylighter. And we’re together, and we’re happy. And our house doesn’t have walls, because we have each other, and… we have our home right there.” 

Maia looked up at him, shifting to rest on her arm and prop herself up. She looked at Simon, softly. This man, this nerdy, gentle, kind man who’d been through so much. This man, this nerdy, soft and strong man, that now was hers. “You’re my home, Simon.” She whispered, and leaned in to kiss him tenderly. To kiss him, and rest her forehead against his. 

“You’re my home too, Maia.”


End file.
